Indianapolis, Ind. – After a busy month of winter testing, Juncos Racing is set to kick off the 2015 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires race campaign this week in the “Mazda Road to Indy” Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship. Juncos Racing captured the team and driver 2014 Pro Mazda Championships in addition to the 2014 Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship.
Juncos Racing’s Pro Mazda drivers José Gutiérrez, Will Owen, Garett Grist and Timothé Buret look to carry the momentum gained in preseason testing over to the first official championship of the 2015 season. The team recently finished testing at Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR) and Homestead-Miami Speedway, where returning Juncos Racing driver Gutiérrez proved to be the fastest in multiple sessions.
Team Owner Ricardo Juncos is looking forward to a strong start to the 2015 season after the impressive results all four drivers earned throughout the series official tests last month. Juncos spent the winter expanding the Driver Development Program by adding highly qualified personnel and more resources in order to give the drivers the tools they will need to be successful.
“Over the past few months we have worked very hard to be prepared for the start of the 2015 season,” said Juncos. “Through our major team expansion this winter I feel we have the best team personnel in the paddock and I am confident they will give the drivers the tools and resources they need to be successful this year. All four drivers have performed exceptionally well during the preseason testing and will only continue to improve as we get the season underway. I’m looking forward to continuing the success we earned last year, to make the 2015 season one of our strongest yet. A big thank you to all of the drivers and crew for working so hard together during the off season, and to all of our sponsors, supporters, and families who continue to support our program.”
The six-race championship begins February 19 on the 2.75-mile, 16-turn road course at NOLA Motorsports Park (North) located in Avondale, La. with Races 1, 2, and 3. Drivers will qualify on February 19 at 4:30PM (EST), followed by Race 1 at 6:30PM, and continue February 20 with Race 2 at 1:15PM and Race 3 at 5:30PM. The Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship concludes next week with Races 4, 5, and 6 at Barber Motorsports Park.
Driver Quotes:
Timothé Buret (Montpellier, France): “I am delighted to enter the 2015 Pro Mazda Winterfest and be on track with all the 2015 drivers. Not only it will be the official start of the 2015 season but also a great opportunity to race before the official start of the season. I will take these two events, six race opportunities to finalize my preparation and find some more speed out of the car. It could also be a good opportunity to find some rain and gain some experience of the Pro Mazda car and Cooper tires in wet conditions. It will also be my first racing experience in the US. I don’t expect it to be very different from what I experienced in Europe but some minor differences for sure”.
Garett Grist (Grimsby, Ont., Canada): “I am excited to start Winterfest at NOLA. It will be great to drive the new track and get time on it before the regular season. I was able to win there last year at Winterfest so I plan to do the same again. We have been working hard and plan to show that throughout Winterfest.”
José Gutiérrez (Monterrey, Mexico): “Just a few more days until we begin the Cooper Tires Winterfest! Juncos Racing is ready to start the year out on a high note. We have been working very hard this off season to get the 2015 season off to a good start. I’m looking forward to running at NOLA with a new track configuration.”
Will Owen (Castle Rock, Colo.): “I literally could not be more excited for our first race. I am going in with open expectations, but I can't wait to see what NOLA will bring. For the first time in my racing career, I really believe that I have the ability to win races. A lot of that comes down to being able to work with Juncos Racing and all the experience they have. The team has properly prepared me over the winter for this first event. No matter what happens though, I will learn a ton of things that I can apply to the real championship races.”
The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires kicks off the 2015 season with the Cooper Tires Winterfest championship February 19-20 on the 2.75-mile 16-turn road course at NOLA Motorsports Park located in Avondale, La. For more information please visit juncosracing.com.
About Juncos Racing: Ricardo Juncos, a second generation and former Formula Renault driver, grew up with a deep passion and desire for racing. At the age of 14, Juncos made his first steps in the racing community driving karts in Argentina. Through his success in karts Juncos was able to join the Formula Renault class competing throughout South America. After funding became difficult as many drivers experience over their career, Juncos began working for many race teams in order to continue his own racing career. During this time Juncos was able to learn all aspects of the car in and out, along with schooling in mechanical and electrical engineering. Stationed in Buenos Aires, Argentina and headed by Ricardo Juncos, in 1997 “Juncos Racing” became a full-service Formula Racing team. By 2003, the team relocated to Miami, Florida as a full-service karting team. During the first few years in the U.S., the team picked up 19 local, regional, and national karting titles. Juncos Racing moved operations north to Indiana, where they developed into a formula open-wheel racing team in 2008. The team went into full swing dedicating most of the time preparing drivers and crew members for the next level in racing. Following this transitional year, Juncos Racing participated in its first open-wheel series, in the 2009 Star Mazda Championship - INDYCAR’s Mazda Road to Indy ladder series. 2010 proved to be a big year for the team with driver Conor Daly capturing the driver championship and finishing second in the team Star Mazda Championship. By 2012, the team’s operations expanded to include cars in the Firestone Indy Lights series and even recorded the fastest lap of the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That same year Juncos Racing took second in the Star Mazda team championship and third driver in the championship with driver Conner De Phillippi while Diego Ferreria was awarded “Most Improved Driver of the Year.” Juncos Racing continued their run in the Pro Mazda Championship (former Star Mazda Championship) finishing second in the 2013 team championship. Most recently the team finished one of their most successful years winning the driver championship, with Spencer Pigot, and the team championship in both the Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship and 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. The team operates of out Brownsburg, Ind.